Friday, May 30, 2008

My roommates are probably going to be secretly pissed at me when all these packages keep coming in. Oh, how I love getting presents in the mail! Even if they're from myself..

Here is a silver Weinmann Deep-V front wheel. I've been bitten by the upgrade-your-fixie-parts bug! Hence, the impulse buy. $75 for a brand new wheel, trued and all, is quite a deal, though. Note the red hub - very hipster. Whatev. It matches my bike. Just need some rim tape, a long stemmed tube, and we're ready to ride.

I paid 60 bucks yesterday for this mini Kryptonite u-lock. It's not an online purchase, only because I wanted it NOW. Hasty mistake? Photo example includes holster / crazy fun batman-like utility belts for bikers (which I do not own). Nerdster, cutester, or both?

Call it a fanny pack, but it is technically a bike "hip pack." For all the essentials, and a u-lock holder. Carrying a messenger is cumbersome if you don't need to lug books, clothes, or other extra stuffs around. And besides, messenger bags, even with super padded straps, are NOT boob-friendly.

If I were a boy, I'd wear Clarks Originals all day long. But fortunately for me, I'm a girl, and they make a pretty cool pair of women's Clarks Originals (Natalie) that are nearly impossible to find in the US, but there just happened to be a slightly worn pair in my size on eBay when I looked a few days ago. Score! I love a crepe sole.

I've been needing a real purse for a while now. People just think I carry a makeup bag everywhere, which is a little off-putting. This one is small enough to be minimalist, and fancy enough for most occasions (vintage Coach, yo!). As with any vintage item, it could look really silly with the wrong outfit, but I'll try to not let that happen.. unintentionally. Unfortunately, I feel like I'm going to be ripped off, since I haven't heard anything from the seller in 3 weeks. And I already mailed payment. Lame.

Thus concludes the summarization of my materialistic extravagance. Back to work, Friday-style. (You should know what that means.)

Tuesday, May 20, 2008

We [OK, Brook and Evan] converted my current 10-speed Fuji Team 1985 road bike into a fixie. New Nitto Randonneur touring drop bars, Cinelli cork bar tape, Evan's old yellow Deep-V back wheel, pedal clips/straps, small brake lever. And the taking off of all unnecessary parts, such as the derailleurs, bottle cage, reflectors, geared back wheel, most of the brakes, including the back brake. Lightness and relief! Accuse me of hipsterdom [noooo], but I did it because I think I'm going to enjoy riding a lot more. Connected to the road and no lazy coasting! A very good start to Summer 08: Create!

So, I deactivated my Facebook account because I had become enslaved to reading about other people's little life details in an effort to stave off boredom. It's like when you eat because you're bored, even though you don't need to, but there's nothing else to do and you just do. Bad, robotic way to live. I've also been cutting down internet time [especially the aimless wandering sort], and only using it to look up stuff, not surf. I still come across really cool things though that I'd like to share and remember. I use Google Reader to keep track of this, but it can also enable me to re-mutate back into a super-efficient consumption machine of culture, knowledge and images, so I am trying to be careful. So recently, I've been using these social networking sites to share great finds, but since I am backing off, I'll put them on here instead, for now. Enjoy!

Kitsune NoirBrook [the person I have been seeing for the past few weeks] has been gently laughing at me ever since he saw that my new Macbook Pro [of a few months] still had the original desktop wallpaper on it. I had kept it on there for so long because in the past, I had just downloaded my favorite images from various websites, and then centered them with a black background on my desktop. Pretty lame, I know. But I finally replaced the stock purple galaxy image with the Jean Jullien one. Super cute, and I love how it's in gray and black, and not overwhelmingly colorful. If you know me, I love loud and bright colors, but lately, I've felt the need to tone everything down. [Life is being hard right now...]

Fun necklaces - MoustacheI think this would be uber cute to have, especially because moustaches are all the rage now, and I missed a rad moustache party because I didn't even have a fake one. And also because Brook has one. Hehe. But EFF high-end hoity-toity fancy-pants products. I hate how well-designed items can be so expensive. It's really not OK. Everyone knows the value of the materials and labor and even creative input does not add up to a small fortune. Sigh.. a big reason why I am repulsed by high design. Because good design should most always be accessible to everyone.

Benjamin Tousley WilkertonEven though his online portfolio is slim, I like what I see already. Less is more, ya know? I'm not a huge fan of modern design/photography [I'm more used to hazy, nostalgic holgas and 35mm], but his design of Grizzly Bear's "Friend EP" is fabulously dark and clean. They're one of my favorite bands, so I believe that he did well in matching their sound. Same with "Yellow House." Excellent vintage font that doesn't look cheesy or self-affected. His Canon Blue album art is pretty neat too. I'm really into images of outer space these days, and it looks pretty different from anything else out there.

Ill StudioTalent + Over the top Ridiculousness Cheeze = Beyond AwesomeThere are no words for their work besides that.

Keep CalmCurrently, my favorite poster shop, at the very top of my design links folder. Their design(er)s are classy, simple and some of the cream of the crop. It's a bit too British to be my favourite forever, and the prices [in pounds] will be out of my budget for a long time, but googling at them is always free, thankfully. [As is linking their images.] If I ever wanted to splurge on modern home decor, this would be the place I'd hit for my walls. Note that Alyson Fox, one of their artists, is from Austin.

Rob RyanA few months ago, I finally sucked it up and purchased one of his tiles ["My Adventure Is About to Begin" - good for this stage in life, eh?]. His papercuts are so beautiful and amazingly detailed. He also has a knack for words, as many of his pieces include adorable or heart-wrenchingly beautiful one-liners. Never sappy, always original. His Etsy shop

That's it for now! Happy to be share hardworking artists with you who make me smile.